TIRUPPUR : A group of hairdressers staged a protest in front of the Tiruppur railway station on Tuesday alleging several members of dominant community were refusing to offer them houses for rent. Besides requesting the government’s intervention in the issue, they also sought welfare assistance.
Speaking to TNIE, Tamil Nadu Hair Dressers Union district president V Jeevanandan said, “There are hundreds of hairdressers (Navithar) in Tiruppur and we are categorised as Most Backward Class (MBC) in the state. We are marginalised because of our occupation. Among the many problems we face is finding a house for rent. Members of dominant community refuse to give us houses for rent, believing in superstition that looking at us first in the morning is a bad omen. Some people declare this openly while others turn us away politely. This is the situation prevailing in Samundipuram, K Chettipalayam, and Amarjyothi Garden which are inside the city.”
Ravikumar, a hairdresser said, “One of my relatives was refused a house for rent in K Chettipalayam, even after they had paid the six months’ rent in advance because the house owner claimed that their elderly parents didn’t like seeing barbers in the morning. Many house owners refuse once we mention that we are Navithars. We have to move out of city or shift to rural areas.”
When contacted, District Backward Classes and Minority Welfare Officer K Selvi said, “These could be isolated cases in Tiruppur city. Many elderly people from villages could be believing in such sentiments. The issue cannot be termed as caste bias and cannot be handled with that angle. The hairdressers can submit individual petitions to me and we will be resolving the issue. We can conduct awareness programmes among house owners of those locations about the issue in Tiruppur city.”